High levels of IL-13-Rα2 have been identified in a number of tumor cells, including pancreatic, breast, ovarian and malignant gliomas. In contrast, only a few types of normal tissues express IL-13-Rα2, and only at low levels. The treatment of cancer has improved over the past decade with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as the primary treatment options. Such treatments can extend survival and/or relieve symptoms in many patients but are not likely to produce a cure for many patients. There remains a significant need for additional therapeutic options for cancers.
Therefore, anti-IL-13-Rα2 antibody-drug conjugates that can exert a clinically useful cytotoxic effect on IL-13-Rα2 expressing tumor cells, particularly without exerting undesirable effects on non-IL-13-Rα2 expressing cells, fulfill an unmet clinical need in the treatment of various IL-13-Rα2 expressing tumor cells.